répondrait

Répondrait is a French verb form belonging to répondre, meaning to answer or to reply. It is the conditional present, 3rd person singular: il répondrait, and it can also correspond to elle répondrait or on répondrait in contexts using the third person singular. The same verb has other persons with the endings je répondrais, tu répondrais, nous répondrions, vous répondriez, ils répondraient.

Morphology and use

In the conditional present, the stem is formed from répondr- and a set of conditional endings (-ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient). The form corresponds to hypothetical or contingent actions, often translating English would respond or would answer. It is commonly used after si clauses (type 2), or in reported speech to convey a future-in-the-puture idea.

Typical functions

- Expressing a hypothetical action: S’il avait le temps, il répondrait plus vite.

- Indirect or reported speech: Elle a dit qu’il répondrait demain.

- Polite or softened statements about future behavior: Il répondrait volontiers à votre demande si vous lui envoyez les détails.

Notes

Répondrait is distinct from the future tense forms (for example, il répondra) and from the imperfect (il répondait). It shares its stem with the future simple, since both use répondr- as a base, but they differ in endings and meaning. The word is neutral in tone and commonly found in written and spoken French when describing conditional or contingent responses.

See also

Conjugation of répondre; French conditional mood; usage of si clauses.